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EXCLUSIVE: Paulina Gaitan Speaks Solely in Spanish on 'The River'

Mexican actress Paulina Gaitan is no stranger to acting. By the tender age of 12 she had landed a lead part in Innocent Voices about the civil war in El Salvador. From there she joined the United States market with a role in Trade and continued to expand her talents starring in countless other films as well as small screen shows XY for CANAL Once, HBO’s Capadocia: second season and Cadena 3’sLas Aparicio. She has also been nominated for Mexico’s highest acting award, an Ariel, not bad for an actress who has yet to reach her 20th birthday. Starting tonight Gaitan can be seen as one of the stars of ABC’s highly anticipated and decidedly mystifying new showThe River. Gaitan took a moment to tell us about her experience speaking only Spanish on the show and what else viewers can expect when watching tonight’s premiere

Your new show The River premieres tonight, how are you feeling?

I’m really excited but I’m nervous too, I hope people like it!

Tell us about your character’s role on the show?

I play Jahel, the daughter of a crew member, who acts as a medium between people and spirits.

It’s rumored that you speak only in Spanish on the show, is that true?

Yes, I’m the only one who speaks in Spanish. At first it was difficult, but now I feel a little bit more comfortable because I’ve been working with these people for about 3 months and I've learned a little bit more English.

Previews for The River have been quite mysterious, can you reveal more about the premise of the show?

I can’t talk a lot about the show but it does have a lot of magic, tales and different legends in each episode. It’s a continuous plot, but for example when they find a tree there’s a legend about that tree and when they find a river there is a legend about how a girl drowned in the river. That’s what I find most interesting about the show is that it’s also about the legends of the Amazon. It’s about time we have a show like this.

Why should viewers tune in tonight to watch The River?

It’s a different story, it has great actors and it’s a great show! [Laughs]